Strange dreams!! The last two nights, seemingly all night, I’ve been “climbing the family tree.” It’s the same family surname, Brubaker, and I’m methodically adding family members. It’s an assembly line, data moving smoothly from Ancestry.com into my Ancestry Member Tree. In fact, it was almost hypnotic as I was skillfully manipulating the information. Funny how our brain works?! “Brubaker” isn’t in my direct lineage, it’s a collateral line. 

Two hours in my “yarden” and I’m “good for nothing.”  Hopefully–indoors for a few hours–I’ll be able to start scanning again. Not right now because “the scanning project” might be considered “a scientific project.” Each step requires careful thought. Eighty-two degrees may appear to be a comfortable temperature; seventy-nine percent humidity is the culprit. See the P.S. on Change of plans.

Just “touching base.”

…according to NBC-TV meteorologist, evening news.

.

It’s still ninety degrees outdoors as I publish this at 7:45 PM. Add ten degrees for “feels like” temperature.

A knock on the door and a voice says “I’ve got your tree.” I sputtered like a motorboat: “but, but, but, but, but.” When I was told it is an Oak tree, slow-growing but will eventually be huge, I said “Not a good idea to have it close to the storage building where it might break up the concrete, or limbs rub the roof.” Dave (Maintenance Manager) suggested we look around for another location. “How about in the middle between those two trees?” So, that’s the plan. The tree was already looking “droopy” so I rushed to get a container for water, and an old mattress pad to wrap around the roots. I’ll keep the root-ball saturated. When he is available, James will dig the hole.

One thing leads to another: This evening, when it’s cooler, I’ll move the frame with decorative small bottles. (Ninety-four degrees as I type this at two PM and “feels like” one-hundred-four.) 

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ later ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

.

James said the heat doesn’t bother him. It “bothers” Lorraine!! While James was working, we had about 200 big rain drops that cooled the air.

.

.

BIG day; accomplished meaningful projects. Early morning: Watered the plants. (Lots of thirsty plants.) Mid-morning: Started scanning LaVerne Evergreen Cemetery Tombstone Inscriptions. Here’s the first 17 pages –of two-hundred-sixty-two pages. (All pages scanned; the first seventeen contain  interesting information.) Soon the whole wide world can access the information regarding more than three-thousand individuals. (They don’t need to buy from Abe Books and pay $25.00. I sold the books for $20.00 in 1989-1990.) This was my first jaunt into genealogical research and it was a wonderful foundation for my later projects. In the early years, LaVerne was a “Brethren” community. My grandparents moved there and enrolled their sons in the Brethren college so they were thus exempt from service in World War One. (Brethren were “conscientious objectors.”) Reading the inscriptions gave me a wealth of Brethren surnames (that is valuable to this very day–researching on Ancestry).

Early afternoon, in the heat, provided a tub of water and wet pad for the Oak tree with wilted leaves. Numerous trips to “water” the tree and saturate the mattress pad. Before James arrived to plant the tree, I moved the frame with decorative bottles.

This evening, I rigged the garden hose so there will be a trickle of water, all night, at the base of the tree. ~~ Yes, a BIG day!!

“Yours truly” burned the midnight oil but did not get everything accomplished!! A very slow start this morning!! Yesterday’s experience was interesting (to me) and I documented the details. It’s likely only a fellow genealogist will appreciate “the ride.”

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Did you ever drive a “bumper car” at Disneyland, or a carnival?? I did… and it is so much fun. Right? Going all around the arena, bumping here, bumping there. Well, “doing” my family history on Ancestry.com is reminiscent of bumper cars!! I start with one surname, add a spouse and children, see a familiar name and it leads to hours of “bumping” into family members. 

Hate to bore you but this was an awesome day!! Early afternoon, I started with Barbara Sophia Dresher (1848-   ) married to Henry A. Long (1838-   ). At 1:35 PM, I remembered the name David Peter Long (from 1996 research documentation) married to Sarah Frantz (1856-1934). Perhaps he was a sibling? (Dates and locations are similar.) At 2:14 PM, I confirmed David’s ancestry (on Ancestry) but it was through “search” and NOT information displayed on Member Family Trees. So I worked with the “Long” surname (connected to Frantz). The longer I worked… the more connections I “bumped” against (connections NOT detailed in other Ancestry Member Trees). The lengthy search(s) of many possible “Long” families did not provide an answer regarding parents of Henry A. Long. 

Returning to David Peter Long’s immediate family. I found his sister Sarah Jane Long (1866-1947) married Cornelius G. Frantz (1860-1946). Their son Glen Ray Frantz (1898-1998) married Opal May Anderson (1899-   ). Their daughter, Ruth Ann Frantz (1921-2015) married Dennis Duane Landes (………). Hold on to the steering wheel?! Dennis Landes is the brother of Lela Landes Shoup. Lela did the typing, and layout of pictures, for her mother-in-law’s booklet titled Smiles and Tears Through The Years, Memoirs of Arthena I. Shoup. (Arthena’s father is Charles Frantz, her mother is Adria Brubaker.) On June 10, 2017, I introduced my readers to the family in my blog message titled Torn Between Two Worlds.

Round and round I go, a “bump” here, a “bump” there. Since June 10th, I’ve worked with Frantz (obviously) Brubaker (no end), Arnold, (just to name a few). I’ve gone in circles!! (Perhaps one thousand more names [with sources] added to my Ancestry.com database.) I’ve said it before but it bears repeating: The Old German Baptist Brethren are tight-knit, and interwoven like an afghan.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Trivia: My yard is so neglected, I hired a man to mow and weed-whack. I’ve said it before but it bears repeating: I need to be two (or three) people to keep up with all my projects!!

One PM, just arrived home–from lunch in the CARE dining room–and I must document (for my “journal” [lol]) I’ve been approached about “save a tree.” It seems one of the CARE residents is unhappy with the tree in her front yard so a new tree will be delivered tomorrow. The Maintenance Supervisor asked if I want it “before I throw it on the burn pile.” Naturally I agreed to take the tree (one-and-one-half years young) and give it “tender loving care.”  (I should have my head examined?!) 

I’m a “plain” person; I’m not into cosmetics, etc., etc. “The tree” does not look attractive because it is disfigured from recent wind storms. I had assured the CARE resident that it would outgrow the problem “with tender loving care.” Apparently TLC has fallen to me?! (One more project!!)

.

Pat on the shoulder; postscript: 10:30 AM, July 26th, and the Supervisor has been a “no-show.” (Yesterday, he said “Don’t do anything until I look at the site.”) It was a good idea (pat on the back) but too late (and too hot) to make plans to dig a hole. 

It was hot; I was miserable. Too many projects; not enough time and energy. At that time–the right time–an email arrived with an encouraging message. From far away Alaska, an encouraging message!! She has been reading my blog for more than seven years; she started following my TaB teardrop trailer travels. ~~ Kind words: A much-needed transfusion that leaves me invigorated. Hallelujah!!

An oft-repeated expression by my mother and probably by her mother. I grew up with quotes and aphorisms (my husband hated them).

Yesterday I approached a sidelined scanning project. I loved the content(s); I hated to scan and discard the “camera ready” pages. Perhaps you would enjoy reading about my trip to Nantucket Island in 1992?

Yesterday, I scanned; I paid a lot of attention to details because I was working with 219 pages. No, I didn’t scan all at one time; I did in sections. Then I combined… and (when double-checking) found four pages error.

I checked all the “help” features in PaperPort (software) for adding pages. But the instructions didn’t match features available on my computer screen. I searched… but never found a satisfying solution.

Last night, and hours today, trying to “cut” sections and “paste” them into a new document.

Bottom line: I could have accomplished the project in less time if I’d started over from the beginning. But it was a challenge and I love computer challenges. It made me sad to throw away pages destined to be copies for great-grandchildren. What’s a gal to do?? I cannot continue to store all these boxes!!

.

Check back later; I’ll have a link so you can read the book. This afternoon, weary and cautious, I postponed merging the sections for fear I’d duplicate yesterday’s blunder.

Black & white picture of reunion crowd showing Lorraine in the crowd.

Changing the subject: It is 93 degrees outdoors as I publish this at 6:20 PM. Add ten or twelve degrees for “feels like” temperature. Weatherman just said tomorrow we will have “feels like” of 115.